Lot 1163
Great Britain. Proof 'Una & Lion' Gold Five Pounds, 1839. S.3851; WR-279; Fr-386; KM-742. Lettered Edge. Five Scrolls. Victoria, 1837-1901. Young Head. Produced by the great 19th-century coin engraver William Wyon, this is among the most famous and desirable of British coins. The obverse design features a young bust of Victoria aged 20 years, while the reverse has the Queen dressed as Una leading the British lion. This gorgeous specimen is remarkably free from scuffs that other examples of this rare coin fall victim to, and the cameo effect of the detailed design is unusual. Pop 3; 3 in 64 DCAM. PCGS graded Proof 63+ Deep Cameo. Estimated Value $150,000 - UP
The 1830s was the last decade of the Romantic Age in England. It was a time when the public's mind was captivated by daring adventurers like Lord Byron whose escapades were celebrated in newspapers and books-and in extremely popular poems. Millions of citizens had also read or had been told about classic stories in school. One of the most popular was the Elizabethan epic poem by Edmund Spenser called The Faerie Queene. It told the tale of a valiant young woman who wandered the kingdom portected by her personal knight. It had captivated readers for generations. When Victoria inherited the British throne from her uncle in 1837, she reminded people of Una in Spenser's story-young, innocent, untried and majestic.
William Wyon, the gifted young stylist of coin designs at the Royal Mint in London, engraved a sensitive portrait of Victoria, called the Young Head by collectors, which appeared on all of her early coins. Whenhe combined it with his design depicting the allegorical Una from the poem, guiding the British lion with her scepter, it seemed to many that Victoria was destined to lead the nation to greatness. The design appeared only on the largest gold coin in Victoria's Coronation Proof set of 1839. A beautiful coin, it seemed to inspire loyalty while capturing the spirit of those adventurers. The Latin legend appealing to God to guide Victoria's steps became reality as the decades of her reign passed, for the empire reached its peak near the end of Victoria's rule. Inspired by the story of an earlier time, designer William Wyon created an indelible image for the ages-a coin cherished by collectors worldwide.
Ex Goldberg Sale 37, Sept 2006, lot 3724.
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| Realized $336,000 |
